The Basics
Noun -
A person, animal, place thing, or idea. In other words, a ‘naming’ word.
Verb -
A word that depicts an action (to do or to be).
Adjective -
A descriptive word.
Concrete noun -
Something that can be physically felt, as in something that you can touch, see, hear, smell, or taste. For example: ‘table’, ‘hat’, ‘mirror’.
Abstract noun -
Something that is not physical, for example emotions – love, hatred, sadness.
Proper noun -
A name – for example, Vincent.
Pronouns -
A word that goes in place of a noun, such as ‘I’, ‘me’, ‘she’, ‘her’, or ‘you’.
Adverbs -
A word expressing how a verb is acted out, for example: ‘he walked vigorously’.
Co-ordinate conjunctions -
These are words used to connect clauses of equal value, such as: and, but, either…or, neither…nor.
Subordinate conjunctions -
These are words used to connect a clause that is dependent upon the latter: that, as, after, before, since, when, where, unless, if.
Modal verb -
A verb that conveys either necessity or possibility, otherwise thought of as words to order someone. For example: ‘must’, ‘should’, ‘can’, ‘shall’, and ‘might’.
Types of Poetry
Lyrical Poem –
Formal poetry, often comedic, which has it's roots in ancient Greek literature. It is spread broadly across three categories, epic, lyric, and dramatic, and has a focus upon personal emotion.Narrative Lyrics –
A poem that tells a story, including epics and ballads. Examples of narrative poetry include Robert Burns' Tam O Shanter and John Milson's Paradise Lost.
Observational Lyrics –
This form of poetry typically makes observations reflecting upon reality, life, and emotions.
This form of poetry typically makes observations reflecting upon reality, life, and emotions.
Conceit –
This is an extended (and often complex) simile.
This is an extended (and often complex) simile.
Metaphysical poetry-
Poetry that was often full of conceits and addressed with spiritual and religious issues.
Poetic Meter
Iamb –
Unstressed - Stress
Trochee –
Is a poetic meter containing two beats starting stressed and ending unstressed.
Stress - Unstressed
Spondee -
Stress - Unstressed
Dactyl -
Stress - Unstressed - Unstressed
Anapaest -
Unstressed - unstressed - stress
Pentameter -A poetic line that containing five poetic feet.
Iambic tetrameter -
A poetic line containing four iambic feet.
Rhyming Patterns
Rhyming Couplet -
These are two lines of the same length that rhyme and follow a single thought. There is no limit to the length of the lines.
Heroic couplets –
These two poetic lines that are made up of iambic pentameter and share the same end line rhyme. Shakespeare typically wrote in heroic couplets.
Mock-heroic couplets -
Two poetic lines in iambic tetrameter that share the same end line rhyme. Falling one short of the heroic couplet, they usually covey a sense of irony.
Open couplets -
Two poetic lines that share the same meter end line rhyme. The idea will extend from one line to the next.
Poetry that was often full of conceits and addressed with spiritual and religious issues.
Poetic Meter
Iamb –
Unstressed - Stress
Trochee –
Is a poetic meter containing two beats starting stressed and ending unstressed.
Stress - Unstressed
Spondee -
Stress - Unstressed
Dactyl -
Stress - Unstressed - Unstressed
Anapaest -
Unstressed - unstressed - stress
Pentameter -A poetic line that containing five poetic feet.
Iambic tetrameter -
A poetic line containing four iambic feet.
Rhyming Patterns
Rhyming Couplet -
These are two lines of the same length that rhyme and follow a single thought. There is no limit to the length of the lines.
Heroic couplets –
These two poetic lines that are made up of iambic pentameter and share the same end line rhyme. Shakespeare typically wrote in heroic couplets.
Mock-heroic couplets -
Two poetic lines in iambic tetrameter that share the same end line rhyme. Falling one short of the heroic couplet, they usually covey a sense of irony.
Open couplets -
Two poetic lines that share the same meter end line rhyme. The idea will extend from one line to the next.
Cadence - The technical term for the pace in a poem.
Caesuras - A mid line pause.
Enjambment
A poem uses enjambment when one line runs into another - for example, in Liz Lochhead's 'My Rival's house': 'Oh, and how close / this family that furnishes my rival's place'.
Enjambment
A poem uses enjambment when one line runs into another - for example, in Liz Lochhead's 'My Rival's house': 'Oh, and how close / this family that furnishes my rival's place'.
Literary Devices
Asyndeton -
Asyndeton is the omission of conjunctions in order to create dramatic effect, for example: 'I came, I saw, I conquered'.
Anaphora -
This is the technical term for deliberate repetition of the first part of the sentence, used to emphasise a certain point.
Alliteration -
A device in which several words, each with the same consonant sound, are adjacent or closely connected.
Assonance -
Two or more words close to one another repeat the same vowel sound but start with different consonant sounds.
Bathos –
A contrast of the sublime to the ridiculous, often used abruptly to make the reader feel uncomfortable. This can be clearly seen in Philip Larkin's 'Sunny Prestatyn'.
Pathetic Fallacy -
A literary device in which emotions are reflected in the weather, for example storms to show anger.
Polysyndeton -
An excessive use of conjunctions.
Paradox –
A contradicting conclusion despite a reasonable premise - though useless in arguments, they serve to be thought provoking and promote critical thinking.
Caesura -
A mid-line pause
Enjambement - Continuing a sentence without pause over a line, couplet, or stanza. Derived from the french 'enjamber', meaning 'to stride over'.
Tautology -
Saying the same thing twice in different words, unnecessarily. E.g. 'fatal murder'. This is generally considered to be a fault of style.
Epizeuxis -
Repetition of a word or phrase in imedite succession. E.g. 'Never, never, never'.
Atanaclasis -
Stylistic device of repeating the same word or phrase but with different meanings. Often a pun, using homophones for humour. This is often used in slogans.
Epiphora/Epistrophe -
Words repeated successively at the ends of phrases, lines, or stanzas. A counterpart to anaphora.
Conduplicatio -
Repetition in which a key word is repeated in successive phrases, sentences or lines.
Mesodiplosive -
Repetition of the same word(s) in the middle of a sentence, clause or line.
Satire –
The use of exaggeration to show the faults of society. The ultimate aim of this is the promote change.
